Congress MP Deepender Hooda on Tuesday accused the Central Government of constantly undermining Haryana’s interests, while alleging that the BJP-led state government has failed to raise its voice. He said Haryana’s rights are being ignored at every level and warned that the Congress would now take this fight “from Parliament to the streets”.
Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh, Hooda demanded that Haryana be designated as the host or co-host state for the 2030 Commonwealth Games and the proposed 2036 Olympics. He also called for the immediate removal of the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC) chairman and his replacement with a capable person from within the state. Several MLAs and four MPs were present at the conference.
Hooda said Haryana contributes nearly 50 per cent of India’s medals in the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and Olympics, and about 25 per cent of Olympic athletes come from the state. “However, when our country was given the opportunity to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, the BJP government at the Centre did not choose Haryana as the host state. Instead, Gujarat was selected. Lakhs of crores of rupees will now be invested in Ahmedabad for the 2030 Commonwealth Games, and sports infrastructure will be built. If this same sports infrastructure, stadiums, and development had been spent in Haryana, lakhs of crores of rupees would have been spent on it,” he pointed out.
He further alleged discrimination in sports funding. Under the Khelo India scheme, Gujarat received around ₹600 crore out of ₹3,500 crore, while Haryana got only ₹80 crore, despite being the top medal-winning state. Hooda said stadiums built during the previous Congress government are now in poor condition and lack basic facilities.
On financial issues, Hooda claimed Haryana has one of the highest GST and toll collections in the country but receives the lowest budget allocations. He said the Centre collects about 7 per cent GST from Haryana but returns barely 1 per cent. He also highlighted poor implementation of MNREGA, claiming that despite over eight lakh registered workers, only a few thousand families received 100 days of work last year.
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